Playwright, director, ensemble artist and founder of Progress Theatre Cristal Chanelle Truscott is scheduled to come to Shangri La as an artist in residence. Mid-way through her residency she will be joined by four cast members from her recent production of The Burnin’ which will be performed at Shangri La, Saturday, February 20 and the Doris Duke Theatre on February 27.

The company, along with All the World's a Stage Theatre Company (of Oahu) are planning a workshop for students and community members on the company's unique style of creating new theatrical works. With AWS's participation in the Hawaii State Theatre Council, we are able to get the word out on this opportunity to a broad array of theatre artists on Oahu.

The workshop will be free of charge and bring a unique new perspective to many artists on the island. We have such a wealth of amazing theatre on the island, and this would give our community a special chance to learn about Progress Theatre's approach to creating new works.

Not only will this bring new techniques to our theatre artists, but also enrich our culturally diverse community. "PROGRESS THEATRE (PT) is an international touring ensemble of multi-disciplined performers committed to using art to encourage social consciousness, cross-community dialogue and cultural awareness amongst audiences diverse in race, age and spiritual background."

The particular piece they will be performing in Hawaii: "The Burnin’ is a Neo-Spiritual inspired by two major U.S. nightclub tragedies; the Rhythm Night Club Fire of Natchez, MI (1940) and the E2 Club Stampede of Chicago, IL (2003). "

A NEW Spiritual! How exciting and something that I do not believe we have seen on Oahu in my 16 years on the island. This will be the basis for the workshop to be presented in late February.